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Super interesting challenge this time around. Just four notes to come up with something certainly does strain the brain!

We got 3 entries vying for YOUR vote this time around! Take a listen & vote ?

studmissile: Goofy-Foot Stomp.

My 4 Notes are G Bb F D.

klaasvakie: Game Over

A stretch calling this a track, maybe a riff --- Couldn't figure out how to end it. Some driving 80's synthy stuff. Bass was played on a normal guitar with an octaver, and flanger on the riffy track. My notes were A C E G.

V8: 4 Note thing

Notes : E, G, A, B (Add a D and you'll get a E minor Pentatonic)

Which entry made the most of 4 notes?

This poll has ended.

This was a tough one, good though, I got to learn the fretboard a lot better. I ended up not being able to put as much time into this as I liked, but I guess that is always the case.

@studmissile --- Wow, I think you used your four notes wisely and your entry was super polished, love it.
@V8 --- Your entry sounds almost mandolin-ish, was it just a straight recording of your acoustic? I think your entry suffers from the same ailment mine does --- it's great as a riff or part of a song, but it doesn't really make a track. I guess that is part of the problem of only having four notes, whenever you want to work that chord change you realise you are out of notes ?

I voted @studmissile, I think he really managed to do the most with the four notes chosen, and the entry was super polished as well.

klaasvakie I think he really managed to do the most with the four notes chosen, and the entry was super polished as well.

Agreed! My thoughts exactly - wondering how we each came to chose the notes we did?

I went E minor pentatonic because I could use the open strings in a standard E tuning - though I could have swopped out either the G or A for a resolving note (D). I didn't because I really wanted to use the voicings I came up with - so I used the octave E as the resolving note. Not nearly as effective though.

klaasvakie I think your entry suffers from the same ailment mine does --- it's great as a riff or part of a song, but it doesn't really make a track. I guess that is part of the problem of only having four notes,

Welllll....let's not be too harsh on either of ourselves. Stud's entry on first listening was "wtf, that can't only be four notes" - there's so much going on! But on second listening, there's the same issue (no "B" section) as you and I have. But he's got different patterns and rhythms going on with his entry, fine example of getting as much out of them four notes as he could - grrrreat work!

klaasvakie Your entry sounds almost mandolin-ish, was it just a straight recording of your acoustic?

Yip, a cell phone recording of my beatup nylon string played fingerstyle. Tracked in 5mins, used organic reverb of the room and added the delay afterwards in reaper. The mando thing was a happy accident...I added a touch of flanger as well, liked how it added a little movement to the
piece.

I'm happy that I had the bassline moving around while keeping the treble strings going - one glaring boo-boo when a nail got caught in the strings (about halfway through). Was a mission to keep the open strings ringing with the odd voicings - that was a brain strain. ?

I loved this challenge - I'd do it again!

        V8 Welllll....let's not be too harsh on either of ourselves. Stud's entry on first listening was "wtf, that can't only be four notes" - there's so much going on! But on second listening, there's the same issue (no "B" section) as you and I have. But he's got different patterns and rhythms going on with his entry, fine example of getting as much out of them four notes as he could - grrrreat work!

        Sorry man, I wasn't trying to be harsh, but I think we agree, studmissiles entry has more variation in it than ours (said without trying to be harsh)

        V8 I'm happy that I had the bassline moving around while keeping the treble strings going - one glaring boo-boo when a nail got caught in the strings (about halfway through). Was a mission to keep the open strings ringing with the odd voicings - that was a brain strain. ?

        Yeah, I thought you did really well there, I think of the three entries yours was probably the most difficult to play, those fingerstyle things are always much tougher than they sound.

        V8 I loved this challenge - I'd do it again!

        I agree, I spent a good couple of hours on the couch with the acoustic fiddling with 4 notes until I found a riff I liked enough to try and record, and a lot of that was spent trying to figure out which notes I was playing!

        That brings me to another point --- I find these competitions pretty much require a "couchcoustic", i.e. a beater that you can fiddle with while watching TV or when you have 5 minutes waiting for something/someone. Almost like my brain is more creative when I'm not really paying attention to the guitar.

              klaasvakie Sorry man, I wasn't trying to be harsh, but I think we agree

              Ahhh, I do agree with your sentiment! I don't take any comments personally - learnt that putting one's creations out there is a essential part of one's development. I mean to point out that, while critical listening is -err, umm- critical...? We can balance that out with objectivity?

              We all ran into the same issue for the same reason - The studly one managed to keep us guessing throughout his track, which I loved!

              klaasvakie I think of the three entries yours was probably the most difficult to play, those fingerstyle things are always much tougher than they sound

              Yeah, thanks - I'm not much of fingerstyle guy on guitar. The poor brain strained remembering "Keep fingers arched, so strings ring out", "dig your nails in to get tone", "Move between E, A & D strings for bass line", "Careful grabbing that E/G chord on the 8th fret - it's a (&*%" ?

              klaasvakie I find these competitions pretty much require a "couchcoustic", i.e. a beater that you can fiddle with while watching TV or when you have 5 minutes waiting for something/someone.

              Absolutely! My R300 nylon beater was used for recording and on the couch. I'm really fond of it. Tonally it's a bit of a dog, but...damn is it fun to play!

                    Definitely no B section in mine. The overlay harmony midway is just an attempt to create an imaginary one. I thought V8's stood out, Those 4 notes are working overtime! Also thought the gaming tone of Klaasvakie was a very clever approach to the challenge. I was wondering if anyone would be able to get passed that hurdle of a B section. I was stumped.
                    Well done guys.

                    studmissile The overlay harmony midway is just an attempt to create an imaginary one.

                    It worked really well imho - the two harmonies combined for some ear-trickery I really dug. I was impressed, if I hadn't known that we were only using 4 notes - I'd have sworn this was a 'normal' track.

                    studmissile I was wondering if anyone would be able to get passed that hurdle of a B section. I was stumped.

                    Me too - I tried a few things, but every time I came up with something there was a D note in it. And I really wanted to keep the voicings I had. Was tempted to go for a 8/12 bar progression, but I was digging the fingerpicking thing, so composition was trumped by working on the fingerpicking pattern ?

                        5 days later

                        Well done @studmissile!!! He's our deserved winner this challenge ?

                        Though @klaasvakie and I will take a bow for entering - this was a fun 'un ?

                        We did say last month that the next challenge was going to be an acoustic one - y'all still keen on that? Or is there another idea out there gestating?

                        Thanks Guys. Acoustic sounds great? But what with Acoustic ?

                        • V8 likes this.
                        • V8 replied to this.

                          studmissile I think because the last one was fairly specific, we thought about the next one being fairly wide open? "Dust off the Acoustic Challenge - anything goes"? Or acoustic on a cell phone? Or acoustic cover of your favourite song?

                          I'm easy!

                            studmissile When did that happen? How does it play?

                            He had an 'NGD' tease on the Whatsapp group - we're holding our breath for the official thread...

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